Recently, electrically-rewritable variable resistive elements such as a ReRAM, a PRAM, and a PCRAM, which are a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device attract attention as a successor memory to a flash memory.
For example, in the case where the ReRAM is used, a memory cell array can be configured only by stacking the variable resistive element constituting the memory cell and a rectifying element in an intersection of a word line and a bit line, so that a memory system having high integration can be constructed. By the use of the memory cell array having the above structure, the plural memory cell arrays can be stacked to form a three-dimensional structure, which allows the higher integration to be achieved.
However, in a voltage applying method of the related art, when a PIN diode or the like is used as the rectifying element of the memory cell, it is difficult to obtain an on-current necessary to write and erase data during application of a reverse bias.